SMART Time Vandals

                 On the 19^th of December during the announcements Mr. Klein mentions “continued vandalism” in the labs and announces that they will require a pass to use during SMART time. The labs were used as an open classroom of sorts during SMART time but recently it has apparently been getting a bit hectic.

                 Mrs. Baber, the Technology Facilitator at Kennedy said that there were missing mice and keyboards, sometimes they were even broken, which can cause quite a bit of concern seeing as they cost a bit to replace. On top of the broken equipment, Baber said that “There was food deliberately placed on the computers,” which could lead to some issues with the computers themselves. All of this led to the labs now requiring a pass to use during SMART Time.

                 All of the labs have gotten a sign put on the door that simply states that “Students will need a pass from a teacher in order to work in this lab during SMART Time.”  The passes you need for the labs are simply written passes given by teacher you are doing work for. The labs are now also supervised by a teacher who just makes sure people have passes and that they are working and not just messing around. The teachers also tell the students to keep a low volume when speaking, just like it’s a quiet study. When asked if she thought the passes would prevent more vandalism she responded with “I think it will because there is someone actually supervising kids in there.” Using the labs after the new restrictions seems like its more of an open room any other teacher would hold, but it also seems like a calmer place to get work done in with the teacher making sure people keep their voices down.

                 The computer labs are going to have these rules until the end of the semester on the 11^th of January, after the semester ends there will most likely be more supervision at the labs which will most likely prevent most of the vandalism seen during SMART Time, although we cannot tell until it happens. We just have to wait and see what comes with the new semester that’s just around the corner.